Four Feasts. Luke 14:1-24 There are several lessons to be learned from the four feasts mentioned in the first twenty-four verses of this chapter. Table talk can be a valuable time well spent or poorly wasted, depending on the topics discussed and how they are addressed. The teaching and learning process is well suited to the time spent at the table, where we consume and digest physical and spiritual food while listening to meaningful discussions. Our Lord Jesus Christ dined with publicans and sinners and, during these meals, imparted lessons of truth that we are still learning from today. Timeless teachings are never out of fashion and can be shared at a table where people pause their normal activities to converse while they eat. Parents have daily opportunities to convey important messages to their children when they gather together, sharing food and family fellowship.
When the Lord Jesus sat down at the Pharisee’s table, it was apparent that the Pharisee, along with the lawyers who were present, had in mind to trap Jesus in some way. It was likely a setup in which the man with “dropsy” probably didn’t know he was being used to see how Jesus would act on the Sabbath day. Dropsy is an excessive fluid buildup in one’s body that often causes swelling, altering its normal shape. Their malice toward the Lord was such that they hoped to accuse Him of breaking the law of Moses. The Lord asked them if the law permitted healing a sick person on the Sabbath day. They wouldn’t answer because they knew the law didn’t forbid this. By questioning them beforehand, He made it difficult for them to object afterward.
The prohibition of healing on the Sabbath day was based on the traditions of men that were added to the law, not on the word of God. The silence and refusal to make a statement reflect that they had been humiliated earlier regarding healing on the Sabbath, and their unspoken challenge of having the man with dropsy there was quickly resolved when Jesus healed him, and he left. The miracle of healing would have been readily observable from his face to his feet as the excess fluid was instantly and clearly gone. The Lord answered the question they would not answer.
Conversations at a table may reveal differences of opinion that can be openly stated with time to hear and carefully think about what others are saying. The discussion that follows is often very enlightening regarding what those gathered there believe about God and His word. By quoting the scriptures that are relevant to the various opinions, the whole matter rises above speculation where people say, “For argument’s sake,” to “What does God say about this matter in the Bible? Are there illustrations or statements that illuminate what we are talking about?” It may be that the Holy Spirit will use some biblical event or illustration to clarify and answer each person’s opinion with a positive statement, “The Bible says…”
After the healed man had gone, the Lord Jesus Christ asked another question, and again they could not answer Him because human morality was the basis of this question. When a human life or even an animal’s life is at stake, it is right to prioritize doing what is needed to save that life. To enforce what is valuable, the Lord told a parable and quoted a proverb to enforce that point. He taught them two lessons by telling these two illustrations.
The first lesson in this illustration instructs guests on what is suitable. Service is more important than honor in the kingdom of God. A guest seeking a favorable place reveals what that person thinks of himself or herself. Selfishness leads to embarrassment when someone who has pushed forward is asked to step back by the host. Courtesy is always appreciated and is often rewarded. Jesus' second lesson to the host was not to exclude anyone when hosting a banquet related to the kingdom of God. The good news of the Gospel is an open invitation to everyone.
We humble ourselves when we focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and who He is, rather than on other people. When we do this, we realize our sinfulness and limitations, rather than our position and importance in the eyes of others. Those who truly recognize themselves will understand their strengths and the gifts God has given them to serve Him under His divine guidance. Humility is a realistic assessment of who we are. It involves our commitment to serve our Lord for His glory and His alone.
In the kingdom of God, the meek inherit the earth, not the mighty. Those who are obscure in the eyes of men as they faithfully serve the Lord are the ones God delights in. This is contrary to normal human society, where people assert themselves to be noticed and honored. Those who don’t push are often ignored. The Lord used this occasion to deliberately challenge the Pharisees and the lawyers to recognize the prevailing social system they were part of and were promoting. The Lord pointed out the alternative values in the kingdom of God.
As Luke wrote in this chapter, the fourth “feast message” was Jesus’ response to another person sitting at the Pharisee’s table. Several principles are taught here that relate to God’s invitation to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and enter God’s kingdom. The same is true today when people hear the Gospel and are invited to come to Christ for salvation. Some are preoccupied with their possessions, others with their occupations and businesses. Still, others are immersed in family life and personal affairs and don’t want to be bothered by confronting the importance of eternal life. Those with little in this world are not distracted by what they have or don’t have. They recognize their need and will respond to God’s invitation of grace.
Religious and affluent people, like the Jews sitting at the Pharisee’s table, feel no need to “seek first the kingdom of God.” They believe they have all they need and do not require God. Religion and money satisfy them. These individuals “are rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” The sad, solemn fact is that these people are already lost and will not accept the truth that God is “calling all men everywhere to repent.” Like the people the Lord Jesus spoke to that day, many individuals today reject God’s offer to come to Jesus and be saved because it is inconvenient for them. Resisting and delaying a response to God’s invitation due to work, business, family, or any other reason endangers one’s life and eternal destiny. While it may be inconvenient to confront one’s sin and need now, to delay is to reject what God offers today and may not offer tomorrow.
Facing the most crucial matter of a person’s life may be an inconvenience, but even more serious is ignoring God’s mercy and refusing to put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Refusing to believe in Him is an insult to God. To disbelieve what He says in His word is to call Him a liar. Many people have repeatedly heard the invitation to come to the “marriage supper” of salvation and have become accustomed to ignoring it. God knows how many times He has called and you have refused. His invitation deserves our highest priority. If you allow anything else to come first, you will miss being in the kingdom of God.
Our children need to understand that they are not in the kingdom of God simply because their parents are Christians. Religious individuals should realize that being religious does not guarantee their place in the kingdom of God. When favored individuals choose not to enter, we cannot compel them to come to Christ. God rejects those who turn away from Him. He embraces with His open arms of love and grace anyone from any background or belief who comes to Jesus as a sinner. Those who reject Him will not have the opportunity to be saved after they die.
The four feasts referred to are: [1] A feast and healing, 1-6. [2] A feast and humbling, v.7-11. [3] A feast and hearing, v.12-14. [4] A feast and heralding, v.15-24. When we sit down with our Lord when He reigns, the final feast will overshadow all that the poor, maimed, lame, and blind will have endured. The glory that will be revealed will exceed all other glories at that great supper.
DISCIPLESHIP Truth consists of many parts. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke about the Gospel and the free grace of God as essential truths pertaining to salvation. There are several associated truths with the Gospel. Justice must be done and fully satisfied. Love is made visibly manifest. Mercy is extended. Grace provides what we need. Judgment must be fair, and righteousness must be fully vindicated. Many more truths are involved in that one crucial work that our Lord Jesus did for us.
When our Lord left the Pharisee's house, a large crowd followed Him because they had heard His teachings and had been blessed by Him in many ways. Some had been healed; some had eaten fish and bread that the Lord Jesus had instantly created to satisfy their hunger. They had witnessed people delivered from demon possession, and some had seen people who had died and been raised by the power of the Lord. They wanted to be with the One they were convinced was their Messiah and who they expected would deliver them from the Roman conquerors.
It is possible for believers to seek to avoid the price of fully following the Lord. He had the authority to say who could serve Him and be His disciples. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” No one can be His disciple whose love for Jesus is less than their love for even the most substantial human ties. Our value of the Lord Jesus Christ must be greater than our value for life. To bear our cross means to endure whatever is required to follow Him. He wants our full commitment and willingness to give up everything to follow the Lord in this world that rejected Him.
This teaching not only speaks to unsaved people, but also involves giving up things that prevent them from accepting the invitation to repent and believe the Gospel. It includes the activities of those who have been saved by grace and want to serve Him actively in fellowship with Him. This teaching is for every Christian to apply to themselves daily on their journey through this sinful world. Some sacrifices will be made once, others must be made frequently, and some even daily. The cross we bear is ours to take up each day, identifying us as those who belong to Christ. Those who wish to be disciples and pass on to our generation what Jesus did and taught will find it both difficult and a delightful privilege to be identified with our Lord and Savior.